StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

MIKEL ARTETA'S WORRY: DECLAN RICE INJURY THREATENS ARSENAL'S TITLE LEAD

Arsenal secures a vital 2-0 win to go five points clear, but the victory is overshadowed by a calf injury to star midfielder Declan Rice. Arteta is concerned.

Mikel Arteta's Worry: Declan Rice Injury Threatens Arsenal's Title Lead
Gunners Go Five Clear, But Injury Crisis Mounts at Emirates

After Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta is worried that a growing list of injuries could hurt their chances of winning the Premier League. Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera both had to leave the game early.

Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka scored at the Emirates Stadium, putting Arsenal five points ahead of Manchester City, who are in second place.

The Gunners now have an 18-game unbeaten streak and have won their last eight home games.

However, Arteta already has Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba out with injuries. To make matters worse, Mosquera had to be taken off the field right before halftime due to an injury.

Even more concerning, Declan Rice seemed to hurt his calf and was replaced with 10 minutes left in the game.

It's never good when this happens. Declan had to come off, and we're not sure what's wrong yet. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out," Arteta said. He also mentioned that Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard are currently injured.

Declan is able to walk, but he's unable to play. He's been playing a lot, and now we had a game on Wednesday night and have to play again on Saturday morning.

Arsenal has had a tough week, with wins against Tottenham and Bayern Munich and a draw against Chelsea. Because of the packed schedule, Arteta decided to rest Saka, Jurrien Timber, and Eberechi Eze for the Brentford game.

However, all three players had to come off the bench eventually. Arteta is frustrated with the team's injury problems and is questioning the Premier League schedule, especially with an early Saturday game coming up against Aston Villa, who are playing well.

Rest is a good way to put it, considering the circumstances. We had to make some changes, he said.

We had a very tough week in every way. We were asked to play again just three days later, which meant we had less time to recover than our opponents.

It's okay for us to play a lot, but it would be great if they could give us a little more time to rest so that the players' health is better taken care of.

MIKEL ARTETA HAILS "BELIEF AND ENERGY" AS ARSENAL HUNT FIRST TITLE SINCE 2004

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal dismantled Aston Villa 4-1 to enter 2026 with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

top-news
Arsenal celebrate New Year’s Eve at the top of the table.

Arsenal's boss, Mikel Arteta, thinks his team is finally seeing their effort pay off as they finish 2025 leading the Premier League.

After Tuesday's big 4-1 victory against Aston Villa, who are also chasing the title, Arsenal is now five points ahead of Manchester City. City plays Sunderland on New Year's Day.

Arsenal hasn't won the Premier League since 2004. When asked if this might finally be the year they break their twenty-year title drought, Arteta praised his team's belief and energy.

We're playing like every other day. The schedule is really packed, and we've got some tough games and injuries. But the guys are still winning, and that helps, he said.

All the hard work and dedication you put in shows in the results and how well we're playing. That feels great, but we know there's still a lot left to play.

He added, "It's a fantastic way to wrap up the year, for sure." We'll have a nice New Year's Eve with family, but then we're back at it the next day. We've got to go to Bournemouth on Saturday, and we know what that's all about.

After winning their last three league games against Wolverhampton, Everton, and Brighton by just one goal, Arsenal scored four for the first time since beating Tottenham in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium back in November.

“We needed this game,” said Martin Zubimendi. He, along with Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, scored against Villa in a game Arsenal controlled in the second half.

We were at home, and we wanted to end the year at the top, especially against Aston Villa, who are a really strong team tactically. So, we're happy with how we played.

We had some trouble with their counterattacks in the first half. At halftime, we tweaked a few things, and in the second half, once we got the first two goals, the game opened up, and we got four.

We could feel the crowd's support; they were always pushing us, always wanting more.

STOP STARTING VIKTOR GYOKERES: JAMIE CARRAGHER DEMANDS ARTETA BENCH £55M STAR FOR GABRIEL JESUS OR KAI HAVERTZ NOW

Jamie Carragher claims Viktor Gyokeres isn't good enough to lead Arsenal, insisting Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are better.

top-news
Is Gyokeres costing Arsenal the title?

Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, thinks Arsenal should start either Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz at striker over Viktor Gyokeres. He says they're both better players.

Gyokeres joined the Gunners for £55 million this summer, and a lot of people thought he could complete the team. But the Swedish striker hasn't settled in, only scoring five goals in 17 Prem appearances.

The 27-year-old has been the main focus of Arsenal's attack, which hasn't been great lately. He wasn't very good, even though they beat Aston Villa 4-1.

Adding to that, Jesus replaced Gyokeres and scored a really great goal late in the game, making it 4-0.

Carragher, a Sky Sports expert, said after the game that he's a big fan of Jesus and that either he or Havertz should be starting instead of Gyokeres.

The only bad thing tonight for Arsenal is that Gyokeres shouldn't be starting when they have players like this, Carragher explained.

In a couple of games, when Jesus is in better shape, he should start. He's better than Gyokeres; that's just how it is.

Jesus and Havertz have just returned from being injured for a while. Jesus scored his first goal in over a year against Villa after recovering from ACL surgery.

Even though Gyokeres was signed to lead Arsenal's attack after doing well at Sporting, he hasn't played that well in England. Carragher said that Jesus and Havertz are better choices to lead the line right now.

People have asked if [Jesus] is good enough for Arsenal to win the league, the former England player added. But now, he's better than the guy they brought in, who they thought would win it for them.

Either he or Havertz is better than Gyokeres as a striker. He's not as skilled or good as the guys they have on the bench. I think Arsenal needs to get someone better than Gyokeres, and they already have that player in Jesus.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News